Sometimes we may make reference to Internet resources, like statistics or a definition of a medical term. But, did you consider the credibility of these "facts"? Have you questioned if they are correct? Do not believe everything written online. Anybody could publish an unsubstantiated opinion on their web-page. Do not even believe photographs - they are so easily doctored to make jokes, urban legends, or deliberate hoaxes. When looking for information online, search for the online versions of quality print sources such as Encyclopedia Britannica, The New York Times or The Economist. Many governments and organizations like the United Nations maintain excellent and reliable websites. Look for quality websites and double-check facts with a credible source when you have doubts. Don't be fooled.

Real Case Scenario

Look-a-like Websites

It was reported that a look-a-like website of the Hong Kong lottery system, Mark-Six, attracted various customers from Taiwan and South-East Asia with fraudulent news stating that they had won the lottery, thus gathering their personal information, credit card account numbers, and even money. The webmasters of the look-a-like website of the Hong Kong lottery system, Mark-Six, have since been charged by the Hong Kong Police.

Consumers International Report

In November 2002, Consumers International released a report regarding the questionable credibility of 460 informative websites. A majority of these websites catered to economic and health related issues. It was observed that they lacked sufficient warnings and contained suspicious and misleading material. More than half of these websites did not list their product's content; 49% lacked warnings such as "consult professionals for further questions"; 39% did not have a privacy agreement to protect their users' personal data; 55% did not contain the latest updated data; and only 26% disclosed information about their webmasters.

Legal Action Against Web Discussion Forum

German American Bancorp took legal action against the web discussion forum icered.com for two messages of defamation against it. The bank asked for a court order to disclose the full name, address, e-mail and IP addresses of the person who posted the particular messages. The bank also asked for compensation from icered.com.